“Absolutely enraging”: Mom billed $100K for baby’s 15-minute “free” helicopter ride doctors insisted on
A mother of two young children had to turn to local news for help after a hospital billed her over $100,000 for transportation costs from 2022. This included almost $90,000 for a 15-minute helicopter ride that doctors had promised would cost her nothing.
The helicopter and ambulance companies refused to help the California mom out until reporters contacted them.
Surprise $100,000 in "life-saving" fees
In October 2022, a falling rice cooker inflicted second-degree burns upon little Brody Farwell. His mom, Jessica Farwell, rushed him to the nearest hospital, only to be told that they don't have a burn unit. Because this was at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, ambulances wouldn't be available for seven hours.
Doctors deemed it medically necessary to fly Brody to Shriners Children's Hospital in Sacramento, claiming that Jessica could not drive him herself. They said she wouldn't get a bill for the ride because doctors ordered it, and because she has insurance.
Once at the helipad, the hospital refused to let Jessica walk her son from the helipad to the ER, which she said would have been faster than taking an ambulance the 0.3 miles.
A few months later, she got the $90,000 helicopter bill and another $10,200 bill for the very brief ground ambulance ride. These included items like a $600 "waiting fee."
"I couldn't believe my eyes," she said. "You look at the bills, and it's absolutely enraging. We got hit for a $600 waiting fee … there's a fee for it being a nighttime service … there's just every single fee you can think of."
Initially, her insurance would only cover a fraction of these costs, leaving her with a $70,000 weight on her shoulders.
Jessica told ABC 7 that she fought for three years to get the hospital, ambulance company, and her insurance to work with her on these bills. It wasn't until she reached out to reporters, who contacted these companies for the story, that they waived the costs.
Public outrage once again raises how unjust the healthcare system is
After Jessica's story spread to X on Tuesday, commenters once again raged over massive U.S. healthcare costs. According to the American Medical Association, spending in this sector has been increasing yearly, seeing a 7.5 percent jump in 2023, which amounts to $4.9 trillion.
Americans have been begging for relief for decades now, with little progress. Despite the initial successes of the Affordable Care Act, steady attacks on this program from the right have increased insurance premiums and reduced coverage.
"What the insurance companies are doing Is absolute injustice to the people," said @VasBroughtToX. "That is not feasible for anybody to pay that much just to live."
"The US healthcare system is basically a legal cartel," claimed @_MaccaNZ.
Jessica's story seemed to prove that many of the related companies can afford to waive large bills, but will only deign to do so under the threat of public outrage.
"It sucks that it takes public outrage for these insurance companies and hospitals to do the right thing," wrote @Bubblebathgirl. "Truly insane and aggravating. It’s because they have monopolies. If people could buy insurance nationally then there’d be more competition and better service."
"You shouldn’t have to call an investigative reporting outlet to help with your medical bills, you shouldn’t have to use go fund mes," said @SITHbabe15. "We SHOULDNT HAVE TO PAY TO STAY ALIVE."
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